Flower king of flies (The Nice) (LP 4455 - 4459)

The Nice  The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1968) ****  

The Nice  Ars Longa Vita Brevis (Vinyl, Intermediate Records, 1968) **** 

The Nice  Nice (Vinyl, Intermediate Records, 1969) *****  

The Nice  Five Bridges (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1970) **** 

The Nice  Elegy (Vinyl, Charisma Records, 1971) *****  

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Chaldon Books and Records, Amoeba Music

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: War and Peace (The Thoughts...), Hang on to a Dream (Elegy)

Gear costume: Rondo (The Thoughts...)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7

Active compensatory factors: Before Emerson Lake & Palmer there was The Nice. They were a progressive rock band with one foot in the pop charts as well. Which is probably why Andrew Loog Oldham signed them to his label - Immediate Records.

For their debut, the awkwardly titled The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack, they were a foursome: Keith Emerson – keyboards;   Lee Jackson – bass, guitar, David O'List – guitar; Brian Davison – drums. 

It's a heady mix of quirky psychedelic pop with prog rock moves. The vocals are 'of their time' (i.e. psychedelic). Rondo became a signature song for Keith Emerson, and it appears on The Nice's debut.

Second album, Ars Longa Vita Brevis, sees the band continuing to explore new territory. Side one is a continuation of the debut's shorter songs and side 2 is a suite (the title song). David O'List is on the album but was fired during it, and the band opted to continue as a keyboard led trio.

The third album, Nice, was their final studio album - although side 2 featured live versions of Rondo and a Dylan cover. In many ways it's the bands best album before Emerson left to form another keyboard led power trio. It's a brilliant dose of rock combining psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical approaches.

Two further (mostly) live albums remain on my list. Both released as Emerson Lake & Palmer got underway. Five Bridges was released in 1970. Most of the album was recorded live in concert at Fairfield Halls, London, in 1969. The last track, One of Those People, is a studio recording. 

The Five Bridges Suite is made up of five-parts. The Nice perform with the Sinfonia of London in the concert. It's an excellent combination of prog rock and classical music. I think it's the equal of ELP's similar approach on Pictures at an Exhibition.

Keith is an amazing musical talent. He can skip into different styles in a heartbeat so what may seem classical becomes jazz and then back to rock in the same movement. Remarkable, and all clearly Keith Emerson in feel.

Elegy was their final album. It's another live album and a stunning record of The Nice at their peak. The version of Tim Hardin's Hang on to a Dream features Keith on piano and is amazing. The twelve minutes fly by in the hands of the master. The rest of the album shows what a terrific band The Nice were and it's an appropriate sign off to end their career. 

Where do they all belong? Eclipsed by ELP, The Nice are superb in their own right.